The present invention relates to a golf swing training apparatus and more particularly, to an adjustable golf swing training apparatus that indicates whether a golfer""s swing is in error and repeatedly aligns the golfer in a consistent and proper location.
In developing a proper golf swing, most professional golfers would admit that the proper golf swing technique is to bring the club back in a consistent, customized swing plane and swing down and through the ball in another swing plane by pivoting the body, moving the arms and hips forward, following through the swing, and shifting the weight towards the target. Other golf pros contend that the golf club head actually follows one swing plane in both the back swing and the follow through but that the angle between the golfer""s hands and the golf club shaft change during the follow through thus creating a different swing plane at the golfer""s hands. Either way, to develop a consistent and effective golf swing, a golfer must develop a repeatable swing that follows the swing planes described above. Errors occur in striking the ball when the golfer deviates from the swing plane created in the back swing, and thus, the club is not returned properly to the originating position behind the ball. If an improper or inconsistent swing is used, practiced and repeated, the golfer will make inconsistent and unpredictable contact with the ball resulting in erratic performance.
Many golf swing training apparatuses have been developed in an attempt to teach the proper swing plane and allow for an effective golf swing. Some of these training devices utilize a xe2x80x9cswing armxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cradius armxe2x80x9d that attaches to the golf club shaft, golf club head or hands of the golfer in order to encourage or force the golfer to swing along a predetermined arc dependent upon the length, position and method of attachment of the swing arm. Golf swing training apparatuses have been developed using flexible swing arms, such as a cable, or rigid swing arms which utilize a rod or tubing to guide the golf club in the ascending and descending portions of the swing. Other golf swing training apparatuses have been developed utilizing a pendulum motion along a proper swing plane or arc in order to encourage a swing that is consistent and repetitive.
Almost all of the golf swing training apparatuses which utilize rigid swing arms force the golfer to swing the club in a predetermined plane. Such devices do not require any conscious input by the golfer, and thus, the apparatus becomes a teaching crutch which lessens the effectiveness of the training device. The disadvantage of such devices is that the path of the club is completely controlled by the apparatus, and therefore, the golfer""s swing becomes dependent on the training apparatus, thus diminishing the golfer""s ability to play the game without the benefit of the training apparatus. These apparatuses do not provide any feedback to the golfer that he may be trying to force his swing in or out of the predetermined swing plane. In addition, those training apparatuses which utilize flexible swing arms, such as cable, do not ensure that the proper swing plane is being maintained since there is no indicator that the cable is taut throughout the entire swing.
Most all of the golf swing training apparatuses that utilize swing arms require that the back swing and the follow through swing be in one predetermined swing plane. Most professional golfers agree that the back swing of a golf swing occurs in one swing plane and the follow through of a golf swing occurs in a second swing plane. This change in swing planes requires an adjustment in the length of the swing arm as the golfer""s swing makes the transition from the back swing to the follow through swing. Most golf swing training apparatuses which utilize rigid swing arms do not provide any compensation for the length of the swing arm as the golfer moves from the back swing to the follow through swing. Thus, these devices do not allow the golfer to perform or practice the optimal swing which will ensure the most effective play.
None of the golf swing training apparatuses provide an alignment mechanism or set-up procedure to ensure that the golfer is properly and repeatedly aligned with respect to the golfer""s stance and the golf ball. In order to assure a consistent and repetitive swing, it is necessary to ensure that the golfer maintains a consistent and repetitive stance so that the feel of the swing remains consistent to the golfer. Most all of the training devices simply require the golfer to approach and utilize the device without considering where or how the golfer is or was aligned from swing to swing or from training session to training session. Some of the golf training apparatuses do provide for a vertical height adjustment of the swing arm to adjust for varying heights of the golfers, and other devices have utilized markings for indicating the spacing between the golfer""s feet. Still, none of these devices ensure a consistent and repetitive positioning of the golfer relative to the golf swing training apparatus.
It would be desirable to provide a golf swing training apparatus that provided a golfer with a proper swing while providing a response to the golfer that the proper swing plane was or was not maintained. It would also be desirable to provide a golf swing training apparatus that allowed a golfer to utilize one swing plane in his back swing and utilize a second swing plane in his follow through swing. It would further be desirable to provide a golf swing training apparatus that provided an apparatus for consistently and repeatedly aligning a golfer with the golf swing training apparatus.
The present invention provides an adjustable golf swing training apparatus that provides a support structure having a vertical support member, a horizontal support member, and a support plane. The apparatus also provides a telescopic swing training arm having one end articulately coupled to the vertical support member for rotational movement thereabout and an opposite end articulately connectable to a golf club shaft. The swing training arm is biased toward a predetermined length wherein the swing training arm may contract and expand from a predetermined length in response to a golfer""s swing. The present invention also provides a stance support for properly and repeatedly aligning a golfer in a two dimensional stance plane substantially perpendicular to the support plane.
In the preferred form, the swing training arm is connected to the vertical support member by a universal joint. The swing training arm is telescopic and has an inner rod and an outer tube wherein the inner rod slides axially within the outer tube. The outer tube of the telescopic swing training arm has at least one magnetic portion connected thereto, and the inner rod has a magnetically attracted member that is axially alignable with the magnetic portion of the outer tube. The magnetic portion of the outer tube and the magnetically attracted member of the inner rod are radially spaced so that the magnetically attracted member is magnetically attracted to the magnetic portion. The magnetic attraction biases the inner rod to a predetermined position with respect to the outer tube thus creating a predetermined biased length of the telescopic swing arm. In another embodiment, a piezo-electric switch, which is responsive to the magnetic portion being axially misaligned relative to the magnetically attracted member, may be utilized to actuate an audio signal responsive to the piezo-electric switch to indicate to the golfer that the telescopic swing arm has varied from its predetermined length.
In the preferred form, the present invention provides that the swing training arm is connectable to a golf club shaft by a swivel clamp assembly. The swivel clamp assembly provides a first clamp connectable to the golf club shaft wherein the golf club shaft is allowed to rotate about and move axially along its longitudinal axis relative to the first clamp. The first clamp is positioned just below the grip of the golf club, wherein the grip prevents the grip end of the golf club from passing through the first clamp. A second clamp is connectable to the golf club shaft in a fixed position relative to the golf club shaft just below the first clamp. The second clamp prevents the golf club shaft from moving along the longitudinal axis of the golf club shaft toward the golf club head. A third clamp is fixedly connected to the end of the swing training arm, and a reinforced flexible material is utilized to connect the first clamp to the third clamp in order to provide limited multi-directional movement of the golf club shaft relative to the swing training arm.
The present invention also provides a stance support that is adjustably connected to the horizontal support member of the support structure. The stance support provides a front portion which is adjustably connected to the horizontal support structure by a pair of releaseable fasteners. A first indicia is located on the front portion of the stance support to indicate the position of the stance support with respect to the vertical support member of the support structure. The stance support also provides a pair of substantially parallel side rails which are substantially perpendicular to the front portion of the support structure. The side rails of the support structure slidably receive a stance mat, whereon a golfer stands, and a tee mat, whereon the golf ball is placed. A second indicia is located on at least one of the side rails for indicating the distance of the stance mat from the support plane. A third indicia is located on the stance mat for indicating the spacing between the golfer""s feet. The third indicia corresponds to the first indicia to properly align the golfer with respect to the vertical support member of the support structure. A fourth indicia is also placed on the side rails to indicate the distance of the tee mat from the support plane, and a fifth indicia is provided on the vertical support member of the support structure to indicate the vertical height of the swing training arm.
The present invention also provides a knee pad for restricting improper movement of the golfer""s knee during the golf swing. A planar support structure is connected to the side rails of the support structure and is located behind the golfer. The planar support structure rises vertically from the side rails and substantially parallel to the vertical support member. A rectangular padded section is adjustably connected to the planar support member and extends outward from the planar support toward the support plane. The pad is adjacently positioned on the outside of the right knee of a right handed golfer (left knee of a left-handed golfer) to limit outwardly swaying of the right knee.
In another form of the invention, the support structure may be self-supporting, as commonly seen in self-standing basketball nets. This embodiment of the support structure includes a weighted base which is commonly filled with sand, water, or weight, and the vertical support member and the horizontal support member are connected to the weighted base to provide a similar support structure as defined in the preferred embodiment.
To this end, the objects of the present invention are to provide a new and improved adjustable golf swing training apparatus that provides a training aid for indicating a proper golf swing while indicating any errors that may occur during the golfer""s swing; to provide a new and improved adjustable golf swing training apparatus that allows a golfer to swing in one swing plane during the back swing and a second swing plane during the follow through swing; and to provide a new and improved golf swing training apparatus that provides a mechanism to repeatedly align a golfer to utilize the golf swing training apparatus.
Other objects, advantages, and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description of the best mode contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.